Reporting Trip: The Target Lofts

As a part of my reporting on how the Athens housing market has changed over the past 10 years and how it has affected Athens residents, I visited the Target Lofts that are currently being built downtown. On this day, there wasn’t any construction happening or any workers out so the sidewalks were open. I was able to walk in front of the building and get a look at the construction completed so far.

The Lofts is an extremely desirable living location due to being right in the heart of downtown. It is also near North campus and the Arch. Although the location is perfect if you love downtown Athens and are a student, these upscale apartments are not tailored or affordable for Athens residents.

There is also a new Target being built next to the Lofts. The Target is being built underneath pre-existing downtown apartments. This building was vacant before the building began and was a location for a lot of homeless people to sleep to protect themselves from weather or just a warm place to lay at the end of the night.

The Target Lots are currently being marketed online that rent will start at $975 per month, according to College Houses’ website. However, since these apartments are marketed to students the available room sizes are only listed as two or four bedrooms, and the current rent on the website starts at $2,450 a month for a two-bedroom, 2 bath apartment.

These apartments will be among the most expensive to be built in Athens; not only is this a problem for Athens residents who are looking for housing but it also is a problem for students who are currently living in surrounding downtown apartments.

“I live just a block away in Georgia Heights and know my rent prices are going to rise next semester because of this,” said Caitlin McWilliams, a student who lives in downtown Athens. “It’s ridiculous how expensive rent is getting in Athens, it’s not downtown Atlanta”.

Walking around the new apartment location, I was struck by how loud and busy the streets were. I personally would not want to live facing the street and hearing the sounds of cars, buses, and people constantly outside my window. Although there is the smell of good food in the air, it also is clouded by the smell of cigarettes and pee from the people who have no place to go.